The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

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In the business world, praise is powerful and underutilized. From a management perspective, it requires minimal effort and no cost yet can be a highly effective motivator.

Studies repeatedly show that a sizable percentage of the work force is “disengaged” - not committed to their employer and therefore not highly productive. (A recent Dale Carnegie National Survey, for example, placed the number of “engaged” employees at 29% and "disengaged" employees at 26%, with the rest somewhere in the middle – meaning that, for a variety of reasons, barely over one-quarter of employees are working at full productive capacity.)

During my own career in management I was involved in many employee engagement surveys, both as an employee taking surveys and a member of a management team communicating results and implementing changes that might be forthcoming. One thing that repeatedly struck me was the persistence with which employee recognitionalwaysended up as one of the top issues. When it came to being recognized, employees never got enough.

Recognition of course can take many forms: It can be monetary, it can be a formal performance-related program, or it can be simple words of praise or encouragement from a manager. Companies tend to spend a great deal of time setting up fairly complicated recognition programs… but my own perspective is that what is really needed are well-trained managers who provide praise, where appropriate, on a regular basis.

Naturally praise shouldn’t be dispensed carelessly when not deserved. That helps no one and only undermines managerial credibility. But again, in my experience the business issue was never too much praise, but too little.

Following are four extraordinarily simple reasons why it doesn’t pay for management to be parsimonious with praise.